Moderate alcohol intake 'may benefit male heart attack survivors'

Men who survive a heart attack may benefit from moderate levels of alcohol consumption, a study has found.

Scientists at Harvard Medical School studied data on almost 2,000 men, all of whom survived a first heart attack between 1986 and 2006.

Participants were followed for up to 20 years, during which time 468 of the men died.

The researchers found that men who had around two alcohol drinks a day following their heart attack were less likely to die than non-drinkers.

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This level of alcohol consumption was associated with a 14 per cent lower risk of death and a 42 per cent reduced risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, compared with complete abstinence.

However, men who exceeded this amount had a similar risk of death to those who did not drink alcohol at all.

Study author Dr Jennifer Pai, whose findings are published in the European Heart Journal, said: 'Our results, showing the greatest benefit among moderate drinkers and a suggestion of excess mortality among men who consumed more than two drinks a day after a heart attack, emphasise the importance of alcohol in moderation.'

June Davison, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said that a small amount of alcohol was already known to be good for the heart.

'But before you reach for that bottle, remember: too much alcohol can do more harm than good,' she advised.

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